The present invention relates to a new and distinct and superior variety of the pawpaw which is of interest for its fruit.
The species—Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal—is the largest native edible fruit of North America, a member of the Annonaceae family, and thus a relative of the cherimoya, sweetsop, guanabana and custard apple (Annona cherimola, A. squamosa, A. muricata and A. reticulata), all of which are popular fruits that are widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including southern Florida and southern California. The pawpaw is the only truly temperate member of the Annonaceae, being indigenous to a region stretching from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coastal Plain and from the Chesapeake Bay to the Great Plains.
Currently, the pawpaw is considered to be semi-domesticated. Native Americans casually cultivated the tree, as did the white settlers who displaced them. The selection, propagation and naming of pawpaw varieties from the wild has been practiced for more than a century, and the backyard cultivation of pawpaws for personal use is not uncommon in Appalachia and parts of the Midwest. Numerous unregistered, unpatented varieties are available in the mail-order nursery trade.
Commercial cultivation of pawpaw has not developed, however. The fruit is fragile and highly perishable which makes transport difficult. And scientific attention towards improving the fruit, its culture and its postharvest handling has been neglected until recently. The lack of high quality cultivars that meet the requirements of producers and consumers is the foremost reason that commercial cultivation has not been undertaken.
The present invention, named ‘Levfiv,’ is one of three new and distinct varieties of pawpaw each of which represents a great improvement over existing pawpaw varieties because of higher yields, superior flavor, fewer seeds and firmer flesh. The other two varieties are ‘Aidfievate’, which is the subject of co-pending application Ser. No. 09/954,140, and ‘Wansevwan’, which is the subject of co-pending application Ser. No. 09/954,536. These varieties possess the minimum overall qualities required for the development of a commercial pawpaw industry. The primary use of this pawpaw variety will be for fresh eating as a dessert fruit. Secondary use will be in processed products such as ice cream, yogurt, juice and cosmetics. Of the three, the variety ‘Levfiv’ is outstanding for combining large fruit size with high firmness, great fleshiness and good flavor.